Tiberius

Tiberius (16 November 42 BC-16 March 37 AD) was the Emperor of the Roman Empire from 14 to 37 AD, succeeding Augustus and preceding Caligula.

Biography
Tiberius was the son of Tiberius Nero and Livia Drusilla; his mother later divorced his father and remarried to Augustus, who adopted Tiberius as his heir. On 18 September 14 AD he succeeded his stepfather as the second emperor of the Roman Empire, and Tiberius was very successful in military campaigs, conquering Pannonia, Dalmatia, Raetia, and parts of Germania. During his reign, Jesus Christ rallied a movement of followers in Judaea, preaching that he was the son of God; Tiberius' appointed prefect Pontius Pilate had Jesus crucified for his heretical beliefs now known as Christianity.

Tiberius was called "the gloomiest of men" by Pliny the Elder during his reign, as he was known to be a somber and reclusive leader. When his son Drusus Julius Caesar died in 23 AD, Tiberius became even more reclusive, and his generals Lucius Aelius Sejanus and Naevius Sutorius Macro took over as regents. Both were Praetorian Guard prefects, and they transformed the unit from Imperial bodyguards into a sort of electoral college that held most of the political power in Rome and often killed emperors to replace them with their own candidates. Sejanus was killed in 31 AD for plotting against Tiberius. Tiberius died in 37 AD, and his grand-nephew Caligula succeeded him.